Emery Bourgeois

Emery William Bourgeois January 16, 1926 - January 23, 2013 Emery Bourgeois, 87, a long time resident of the Baudette, Minnesota community, died on Wednesday, January 23, 2013 at the Veterans Home in Silver Bay, Minnesota after a long, tenacious, and courageous battle against cancer. A memorial and family visitation will be held at the Emblom-Brenny Funeral Home in Little Falls, Minnesota from 6:00pm to 8:00pm, Friday, February 8; with an honorarium service at 7:00pm. In addition, a gathering to celebrate Emery's life will be held for friends and loved ones in the Lake of the Woods area this coming spring. Details will be announced in the near future. Emery William Bourgeois was born January 16, 1926 in Baudette, MN, son of Joseph and Agnes (Lee) Bourgeois. At a young age, Emery's mother passed away and he was raised by his step-mother, Doris Belke, along with 4 brothers and sisters, and four half sisters and brothers. Emery grew up on the family farm in the far northern community of Carp, Minnesota, and it was in this same community where Emery attended school; yet it was on the family farm, where he and his siblings learned the values of hard work, integrity, and family that truly laid the foundation for the kind, honest, and determined person he was. Emery served his country in the United States Army at the end of World War II for 18-months until 1947; yet the pull of those small town values were always present, and Emery returned to the family farm and dedicated his life to the struggles, values, and virtues of a farmer. On January 15, 1966, Emery married Diane A. Klosowski in Little Falls, Minnesota, and along with one son, they made their home on the family farm in Carp. In addition to farming, Emery also spent time in the woods during the winter months logging pulp. In later years he worked at the cooperative elevator in Williams and Baudette, as well as at the Cenex station in Baudette, all the while working the family farm and providing love and support to his family. Emery is survived by his son, Patrick Bourgeois of Saint Michael, MN; two grandchildren, Emily Bourgeois and Danielle Bourgeois; sisters Josephine Soltis of Segin, WA, and Amy Klockenbeck of Paynesville, MN; half sisters and brothers, Carol Nelson of Brooklyn Center, MN, Jeanette Book of Minneapolis, MN, Judy Bourgeois of Minneapolis, MN, and Jerome Bourgeois of Minneapolis, MN. Emery is also survived by Maxine Wangerud, who loved and cared for Emery for many years following the death of his wife. He is preceded in death by his father Joseph and mother Agnes; his wife, Diane; sisters Pearl Fick; Violet Gagner; Phyllis Behnke; and brother Francis Bourgeois. In lieu of flowers and family condolences, donations in memory of Emery can be made in support of the Mud Dogs Rein In Sarcoma cancer fundraising snowmobile ride. Information and online contributions can be found at: www.reininsarcoma.org/content/bourgeois-mud-dog-home-page